Career & Entrepreneurship
A Woman´s way to entrepreneurship: how a dream can become reality
About Kristina Babina
Born in a family of two entrepreneurs in the former USSR in 1989, Kristina has always been an hyperactive child. She had a happy childhood until the age of five when she lost her father. He was a great and brave entrepreneur, who died at the age of 35 years old during the difficult 1990´s in Moscow. Her mother continued the business of her husband and showed she was an extremely strong woman just at 29 years old.
Kristina Babina – credit photo Anna Nahabed
Her dreams to become an entrepreneur
Kristina always heard stories about her father, about his great charisma and his abilities to generate ideas. Since she was only five, she dreamt to become “like her dad” one day!
At the age of 14 years old she moved to Switzerland (Lugano) for school and after three years continued her studies in Lausanne (EHL), then Geneva (International Geneva Institute) and finally Fribourg (HEG) for her master degree. While studying in Fribourg, she decided to start her way toward her dream, which was to become an entrepreneur!
How TotUP was born
The most important thing for Kristina was not only to do business, but to create something with value to society! During that time several friends around her had children and were struggling not only to find a GOOD day-care, but to find one overall. So, she decided to look into this problem more carefully and quickly figured out that the preschool system in Switzerland does not only have a lack of places, but is often not seen as a part of an educational process!
Test, Obsverve,Thrill, Unravel, Progress
So she decided to make her master thesis on that subject! During this process TotUP was born. TotUP stands for test, observe, thrill, unravel, progress! It includes everything that a child should experience during his/her early age development.
Her master thesis was recognized and she even won 1st place in the Swiss HES-SO master thesis competition. That gave her a sign that she was on the right path!
The idea of “Learn Together”
Kristina did not just want to stick with one educational system or approach so she compared the best world practices and applied them to the Swiss education system. By combining existing practices together with psychologists, mathematicians, educators and artists the programme “Learn Together” was born.
The challenges
TotUP day-care – credit Oxana Besenta
At that moment she thought that everything was ready to start, however she figured out that not everyone was so happy to have private investors in the social services in Switzerland. During 3 years she tried unsuccessfully to open her first day-care, but each time something went wrong: administration, landlords, chosen partners…. Landlords did not want to wait 6-8 months before the administration could provide the feasibility of the project and the administration, well administration is administration….it seemed like the stats would never align the way they should.
On July 8th of 2017 after a long discussion with her mother and tears in her eyes she decided to give up!
July 9th after a night without any sleep, she received a call from one of the real estate agencies at 8:00am in the morning. A real estate agent she had met 6 month prior to that date, who seemed the last person in the world who would be interested to help and give a chance to a young 27 year old entrepreneur, called her and said: “I think I have the space that would be perfect for your day-care and the landlord is interested in the project and ready to give you one year lease vacation! Would you be able to come & see the property today at 9:00 am?” Well, that was her fastest ride from Lausanne (where she lives) to Geneva (where her possible space was available).
The real beginning with more challenges and surprises
First family sport centre in Switzerland – credit photo Oxana Besenta
Geneva Business Centre the place where it had all started: a totally abandoned space of 500m2 on the ground floor, unoccupied for the last 5 years, with a floor which was sticking to her shoes, very old toilets and just a possibility to make an exist to the garden!
That was not at all what she had expected to see, but that was the only space where owners were ready to wait! She signed a contract within two weeks and started the administration process and this time with a very good lawyer following her to every meeting. We had estimated to finish construction by beginning of April 2018, however instead of 30 days of waiting for the construction permit they waited for 72 days! In the meantime the budget almost doubled from the first estimation, but she never gave up! A great team of architects and construction companies were able to finish everything on time. “Cannot tell you how, but we did it!” she said. The first TotUP day-care opened its doors in April 2018.
TotUP First Year
During the first year she created more than 15 strong partnerships with local small businesses or independents in order to support them and give them a chance as that real estate agent gave me! Those partners are external professors (yoga, dance, art, permaculture, music), suppliers in her pop-up store, designers and many others!
After a very successful first year following the demand of many families Kristina opened a primary school in the same building and the first family sport centre in Switzerland!
Looking into the future, continuing her dreams
Beauty salon credit photo Oxana Besenta
This year two new day-cares are opening in Epalinges and Crissier! In 2022 a second day-care in Geneva will open its doors, as well as one in Valais and in 2023 in Fribourg and hopefully (did not sign yet a contract) in Neuchatel.
All the TotUP day-cares are assigned to the holding Babin SA. The holding is named after the family name of her beloved father dad, who through this will never disappear!
While fighting for her day-cares she joined an amazing team of entrepreneurs and became the co-founder of a great bar/art gallery Artishow (Flon, Lausanne),a member and co-founder of Neurart Association, a co- founder of Tatadam and the owner of a beauty salon!
What would she say to those who are just starting their journey? “dream big, never look back and believe in what you do!”
To reach Kristina:
+41786587831
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